The New Year brings a Pentagon viewing of The Great Game, links between US athlete schools and the UK ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, and the return of the National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch.
Pentagon to View The Great Game.
Following last fall's four city US tour, London Tricycle Theatre's The Great Game will return to Washington next month for two day-long private Pentagon performances presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, British Council, Shakespeare Theatre Company and Tricycle Theatre.
The plays will be presented at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall to audiences of policy and decision makers; military and government officials; corporate and private America; and injured service members, veterans and their families.
Nicolas Kent, Director of the Tricycle Theatre, said "We are honored to have been asked to do these performances for the Pentagon. It confirms the power of theatre to engage with contemporary policy issues and spark debate, to educate and to challenge, as well as to entertain."
Learn more about the upcoming Pentagon performances in the Washington Post and the UK's Guardian.
More Americans Going to College in the UK
The Washington Post recently covered the increase in the number of Americans going to college in the UK.
The Post reported, "The population of U.S. undergraduates at United Kingdom schools has spiked 30 percent in five years, to 3,560 in the 2008-09 academic year... It's a trend driven by price, prestige and - in the case of St. Andrews - a prince."
Learn more about full degree opportunities in the UK or read our tips for Americans interested in applying to UK universities for 2011-2012 admission.
Black Watch Returns to the US
The National Theatre of Scotland's critically-acclaimed production Black Watch returns to the US for the third time, premiering at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC this month.
Black Watch is based on interviews with former Scottish soldiers who recently served in Iraq. Viewed through the eyes of those on the ground, this powerful piece of theatre tells the story of Scotland's legendary 300 year-old Black Watch regiment, whose disbandment was announced in 2004 just before its 800-man battalion replaced some 4,000 US Marines in one of the bloodiest areas of Iraq.
On January 27, we are partnering with the Shakespeare Theatre Company to present a post-performance panel discussion featuring former and current soldiers, an expert foreign affairs journalist and the Director of Black Watch.The panel will explore our depictions of the current Iraq war and the military who serve there, including what role the arts can play in discussing divisive social issues.
Panelists include Shane Belvin, a former US Army Captain who took part in the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003 and a current member of TN2020; Lieutenant Colonel Mark Ewing, the former Second-in-Command and Chief of Staff of The Black Watch currently serving on the British Army Staff at the British Embassy in Washington DC; Martha Raddatz (moderator), the Chief Foreign Correspondent for ABC News; and John Tiffany, Associate Director (New Work) for the National Theatre of Scotland and Director of Black Watch.
The Black Watch tour of North America is being funded by the National Theatre of Scotland, an organization core-funded by the Scottish Government.
World Olympic Dreams Links US Athlete Schools with the UK
On Friday, 4 teachers and 3 high school students from Iowa and New Jersey will be traveling to London to participate in World Olympic Dreams, a British Council and BBC project that pairs UK schools with those in the hometowns of athletes participating in the 2012 London Olympics.
US Gymnast Shawn Johnson, who won a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa. Her schools - Westridge Elementary School, Valley Southwoods Freshman High, and Valley High - will be paired with Herbert Thompson Primary in Cardiff, Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Wrexham, and Chase Town Sports College, Burntwood, West Midlands.
British basketball star Luol Deng, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls and is set to captain the British basketball team, attended high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey on a sports scholarship. Blair Academy will be twinned with Tomlinscote School and Sixth Form College in Surrey.
In London, participants from all over the world will meet with their partners at the British Museum and then visit their UK partner schools. Over the next two years the schools will work on a joint curriculum project, follow stories of their hometown athletes together, and share creative work inspired by the values and ideals of the Olympics.
Learn more about the New Jersey and Iowa UK partnerships or read more about the global project.
British Performing Arts Represented at New York Arts Conferences
It's a performing arts bonanza in New York this month as we highlight the best of contemporary British creativity and entrepreneurship at the Under the Radar Festival, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters annual membership conference, and the International Society for Performing Arts annual congress.
While British/German theater collective Gob Squad bring their outstanding performance to LaMaMa Experimental Theater, Arts Presenters members can hear talks on arts and innovation from Bristol's trail-blazing Watershed Media Centre, or get an update on the state of cultural diplomacy from the British Council USA's Simon Gammell alongside U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Ann Stock.
Engaging Youth in Conflict-Affected Areas
This month we launch the first in a series of Youth Policy Symposiums with the Open Society Foundation. The inaugural symposium will be held at American University in Washington, DC and will focus on engaging youth in conflict-affected areas.
The symposium aims to promote learning about the most up-to-date thinking, analysis, challenges, best practices, and next steps in this dynamic field; create concrete strategies that various actors in youth programming can implement to make the field more coherent, responsible, and relevant to the needs of conflict-affected youth; and foster dialogue, coordination, and communication among funders, implementers, and scholars of youth programs and initiatives in conflict-affected areas.
BRITISH COUNCIL AROUND THE WORLD
Unique Film Archive of British Cultural History Released Online
A unique collection of films providing snapshots of the UK's cultural, industrial and political heritage from our film archive has been released online to the public for the first time.
The archive dates back to the British Council's inception in 1934. For several decades, we were an enthusiastic commissioner and distributor of documentaries, designed to showcase Britain to the outside world and promote democratic values at a time when fascism was spreading across Europe.
The films were shot by some of the finest filmmakers of the time - including cinematographer Jack Cardiff (of Powell and Pressburger fame) and director Ken Annakin (Battle of the Bulge). Highlights include an introduction to cricket, a history of the English language, and a chronicle of London in the midst of World War II.
Watch the films at www.timeimage.org.uk/.
BRITISH CULTURAL EVENTS IN THE US
At any given time, there are a large number of British cultural events taking place across the US. The following are a small selection of non-British Council events. Please contact the venues listed for more information.
Black Watch
The National Theatre of Scotland's critically-acclaimed production Black Watch returns to the US for the third time. Black Watch is based on interviews with former Scottish soldiers who recently served in Iraq. Viewed through the eyes of those on the ground, this powerful piece of theatre tells the story of Scotland's legendary 300 year-old Black Watch regiment, whose disbandment was announced in 2004 just before its 800-man battalion replaced some 4,000 US Marines in one of the bloodiest areas of Iraq.
January 26 - February 6
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Washington, DC
February 9 - 13
Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC
February 16 - 20
Bass Concert Hall, University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
March 29 - April 10
Broadway Armory
Chicago, IL
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